We’ve started putting up Emily Kaufman’s brilliantly written articles about the history of Ibiza. This one details what happened towards the end of the Spanish war and the remarkable fact that we doubt many people know that Formentera had a concentration camp..

From 1939 to 1942, Formentera was also used by National authorities as a concentration camp for political dissidents from mainland Spain, usually until the time of the prisoners’ execution. Thus, in every possible way, the Formenterencs were made painfully aware of the new political order and its implacability.

While political refugees escaped from Ibiza and Formentera throughout the entire wartime period, the largest exodus occurred between 13th and 20th September 1936, the week that Republican rule was fizzling out and National occupation was known to be imminent. At this stage, many Ibicencos sought shelter in Minorca, which remained Republican territory until February 1939, only two months prior to the close of the war.